20th–21st century
Feast: October 22
A pastor-pope who proclaimed mercy, defended human dignity, and invited youth to holiness.
Karol Wojtyła (1920–2005) survived Nazi occupation and communist rule in Poland, was ordained in secret risk, and became Pope John Paul II. He emphasized the Theology of the Body, the new evangelization, and World Youth Day. He was canonized alongside St. John XXIII.